Ono no Komachi (小野小町) is a Japanese female poet from the 9th century. There are no pictures or sculptures of her, but she was believed to be the most beautiful woman in Japan. She is described as having been as beautiful as Cleopatra. In contrast to the popularity of her poems, we know almost nothing about her life, such as her birthday, birth place, her family, where she lived, the date of her death, etc.
If you go to a Shinto shrine, there may be a bridge over a pond or a stream. It is said that water can purify your body and mind when you cross it, the same as using a chōzuya. Using chōzuya is a good respectful gesture, but it may still be off-limits due to the COVID pandemic. Crossing a bridge is another way to enjoy your visit and feel the sacred energy.
Natural whetstones are very precious. Yōzō Tsuchihashi (土橋要造) is the last miner / artisan family still producing natural whetstones in Japan. Mining whetstone is dangerous to one’s health. In fact Yōzō’s father died from pneumoconiosis. Once artificial whetstones became available, most natural whetstone mining was discontinued. But traditional Japanese cutting implements, including swords, and wood-working tools such as those used to produce Buddhist statues require delicate sharpening techniques that are best obtained using natural whetstone. Artificial whetstones cannot meet this refined standard of work. Mining whetstone is a tough job, but Yōzō says he wants to continue working as long as possible.
Omiwatari is a natural phenomenon that occurs on lakes such as Lake Suwa. In winter the entire lake surface freezes, and, due to the temperature change, the volume of the surface ice changes. When the volume increases, sections of the ice push against each other. When the volume decreases, the ice sections pull apart. This causes the ice to make noise, crack and rise, forming what is called a; pressure ridge. In Lake Suwa, these pressure ridges form a path that can extend for several miles. Japanese people call it Omiwatari or “God’s Crossing” instead of a pressure ridge… it’s romantic, isn’t it? Unfortunately, because of global warming, it’s getting harder and harder to see one.
Japanese whisky, Yamazaki, is well-known around the world. Especially, “Yamazaki 55 year old” is known as a rare and most valuable Japanese whisky. 100 bottles of Yamazaki 55 were sold on June 30, 2020 for $31,000 USD each. They were sold by lottery, and only to residents of Japan. Furthermore applicants were required to write three essays to discourage people from buying a bottle only to resell it. Still, more than 200,000 people applied. Later in 2020 one of these bottles was sold in Hong Kong by auction by one of those 100 lottery winners for about $800,000 USD and another one was sold in NY by another auction for $600,000 USD in 2022.
There is a temple in Kyoto called Yanagidani Kannon Yōkokuji (柳谷観音楊谷寺) that started decorating chōzuya with flowers and leaves from their garden in 2018-2019. They called this Hana chōzu. Since the COVID19, many shrines and temples in Japan prohibited the use of chōzuya, but some places also took up the idea of hana chōzu, and started to decorate their chōzuya. Nowadays Hana chōzu have become very popular. It is definitely a tool to bring people to their shine or temple.
Chōzuya is a hand and mouth cleansing spot in a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple. Usually it is placed near the entrance. Due to the COVID pandemic, it may be still off-limits depending on the shrine or temple. A chōzuya is a place to purify yourself and we use it prior to visiting the main hall to pray to a God or Buddha.
The government in Japan has decided to lower the age for becoming an adult. Currently the age is 20, but starting 4/1/22 it will be 18. However, there are still some things that you are not allowed to do until you are 20, so the law will be a bit confusing. You still must be 20 to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, gamble, etc. But now at 18 you will be allowed to sign a legal contract for housing, opening a credit card, purchasing a mobile phone, etc. without your parents’ agreement. Until now men had to be 20 and women 16 to get married, but now that age will change to 18 for both men and women. Another change will mean bad news for young people who hold dual citizenship. Currently you have until age 22 to decide if you want to keep your Japanese nationality, but starting 4/1/22 you will have to decide this by age 20. Lastly, what will happen to the coming-of-age ceremony? It seems like it will depend on the area you live in. Some areas are thinking about changing the name “coming of age” to “20-year-old gathering”.
Temples are for Buddhism, whereas Shintō shrines honor Shintō deity. Japanese people often say that you can make a wish at a shrine but not at a temple. Actually, strictly speaking, it depends on the temple’s denomination. For example, temples of the Jodo‐shin and Zen Buddhist sects are not places where you go to make a wish, but there are many other Buddhist sects where making a wish is fine. In fact, many esoteric Buddhist temples will offer up special prayer ceremonies for you just as Shinto shrines do. The most popular shrines and temples for hatsumōde (please click here for details) in the Tokyo area are 1. the Meiji Shrine, 2. the Narita-san Temple, and 3. the Kawasaki-Daishi Temple.
Hatsumōde is your first visit to a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine in the New Year. You generally wish for health and good fortune in the new year, buy new omamori (charms or amulets), and return old ones so they can be burned.
